packing light : allison vesterfelt.
i've had this book sitting in my cart on amazon ever since it was released. someone probably tweeted about it, i liked the cover (okay, but who doesn't literally judge a book by its cover though?), and "packing light" just sounds like a lovely idea.
a couple weeks ago, i got an email that the audiobook was available for download on noisetrade. (which, in case you were unaware, noisetrade is code for FREE STUFF.) while i would usually prefer reading a physical copy, you can't beat
free
.
it
is
also convenient to have someone else read to you while you're in the car for seven hours by yourself. especially when you find yourself in a situation in which you suddenly hit a hall of traffic on the highway and you're thinking a guilty-pleasure pop-music dance party or a taylor swift sing-along won't quite be enough to help you keep your sanity as you sit in an unmoving vehicle still four-ish hours away from your destination.
which is what happened to me, obviously, and it turned out wonderfully as i continued listening for the remainder of my drive. i just haaad to know what happened next.
it's a story about two girls in their twenties who quit their jobs, left their homes, sold their belongings, and went on a 50-state road trip to follow their dreams. (are you at all surprised i had this one on my list?) it all sounds so whimsical. the road tripping, the sight seeing, the dream following. and what i didn't know before i started was that the road trip doubled as a tour, since her friend's dream was to be a musician.
i thought it would be an easy, fun read. one that left me inspired and wanting to make that same trip. and while it
was
fun to hear about the places and the adventures, it wasn't exactly what i expected – although i'm not sure why i'm surprised. following your dreams isn't easy, and while i've never gone on a cross-country road trip without any real means of income, i'm sure that's not easy either.
this story was real and raw and honest, and i loved that. there were parts that made me cry, parts that made me wrinkle my nose, parts that made my jaw drop. it was an experience for me too, and i was hooked from the very first line.
"it all started with a wedding. so many good stories do."
___
you can still download the first few chapters of the audiobook on noisetrade
.